Racing to the Year's End!

Highlights for this year include converting the Chrysalis Visitor’s Pavilion to solar power thanks to the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club; receiving long-sought after funding for the restoration of our wetland, Laguna de los Patos (Duck Lagoon); and undertaking the difficult work of transforming the 70 acres behind the levee into a meadow full of native host and nectar plants, with trails, photography blinds and amenities we know our members and visitors will appreciate.  We are grateful to everyone who’s had a hand in these achievements, as we enter the home stretch of a 7-year recovery plan that will establish the Southernmost Monarch Waystation, here, for future generations to enjoy.

Thousands of hours have been spent collecting and cleaning seed, growing and preparing for the tremendous planting that will take place this spring, none of which would be possible without the many volunteers who have contributed to our success.

In the fall, we planted more than 1,500 native plants for pollinators in the Texas Savannah Trails & Ayenia Refugium (TEX-STAR), with the assistance of local high school students who are learning about the importance of habitat conservation for the benefit of wildlife and the environment. We also welcomed Eagle Scout and academic research projects, and everyone who participated in the Texas Butterfly Festival, which included our inaugural Monarch 5K Fun Run.

Unwelcome guests included the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and agents of the Department of Homeland Security Customs & Border Protection, whose appearance heralded the government’s intent to build a border wall right through our property, threatening the wetland, the waystation and all the good work that has been done to preserve a place for wild butterflies, birds and the many protected species that may be found here.  Still, this travesty brought opportunities to educate the public and generate awareness, conduct outreach and enlist others on behalf of butterflies.

Meanwhile, our wonderful members—new and old—came to our rescue, acting as first responders by providing counsel, directing us to experts and mobilizing resources for fact-finding and potentially life-saving activities, when we discovered the surveyor’s stakes and the contractors wielding chainsaws.

We cannot THANK YOU enough for the support you have given this year, whether you are a first-time visitor or a long-time member!

While we do not know what 2018 holds, you give us confidence going forward. We have confidence in your commitment to our cause, confidence in your dedication to our mission, and confidence in your determination to see the National Butterfly Center fulfill its destiny.

THANK YOU, for the love of butterflies, and all the benefits they bring.

May 2018 be a banner year for us all,

Marianna, Max, Angie, Luciano, Stephanie, Nestor, Ricky and Marcelo